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Saturday, June 28, 2008

An Act of Mercy: Mass and Burial of the Unborn with Fr. Frank Pavone and Bishop John M. Quinn at Assumption Grotto

Assumption Grotto Church in Detroit, Michigan (above) as it appeared at 7:00am on June 27, 2008, just hours before the remains of unborn infants would arrive for their Mass and burial in the Grotto cemetery, with an over-capacity crowd.

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Click on any pic to enlarge. This is a mega-photo post, probably larger than I have ever done with over 50 photos.

This post may be edited with additional details, names and links as I get them.For those wanting to use pictures for commercial purposes or blogs/web pages, please see my notes at the bottom. Only a small portion of the 149 photos available are shown here. The rest are at another site.

GUIDED BY THE BLESSED MOTHER

Because I am an amateur photographer, I have asked the Blessed Mother and my Guardian Angel, as I have so many times to guide me and to show me what to shoot. I served as a witness like anyone else who was in attendance, but through my lens all of you viewing this blogpost are now witnesses, as well.

I would like to thank Our Lady, my Guardian Angel and Almighty God for the honor to share with you one small part of this story.

A DIGNIFIED FUNERAL

What you do for the least of these...

It is an act of mercy to bury the dead. These babies got a funeral and burial with the highest level of dignity. I can't say how many people were there, but believe there were no less than 600. All I know is that the Sanctuary was full of clerics and altar boys, the pews were filled to capacity, the wooden risers periodically used by the choir in the back were full, and people were still standing in the aisles, in the vestibule, and even out on the front steps.

FINAL RESTING PLACE - A PLACE OF WARMTH

The grave marker to the right at the intersection is the final resting place for the babies. They join numerous others in 3 caskets, also buried there previously. As a member of the parish, I can tell you that there isn't a more beautiful place to be buried, not just because of the physical beauty, but because of the many who enter just to pray. It is the home of our Grotto, where outdoor Masses are celebrated, and Marian hymns sung. Each Sunday during the warmer months, the Blessed Sacrament will pass by this grave following the Noon Mass with a Eucharistic procession and Benediction.

For those who died such a cold death, they are buried in a place full of devotion, warmth and love.

Fr. Frank Pavone, MEV of Priests for Life (2nd picture below), stands next to the grave marker for the unborn who are buried there. It also serves as a memorial to all the babies who have suffered the horrors of abortion.

Below, Fr. Pavone awaits the hearse which will be carrying the babies

Mass began with a full procession, which included the Knights of Columbus. The tiny casket can be seen at the bottom of the photo. In it are the remains of three babies whose lives ended with miscarriage, along with the remains of aborted babies. Those babies were given the dignity of having names, printed on cards that were handed out: Rachel, Joshua, Victoria, Adam, Mary, Jacob, and Grace.

The crowd was too big to get in a single shot. I walked in different angles, but could not get the kind of elevation needed for a good overall shot.

Faces, sorrowful, and in prayer, speak volumes.

Henry Root of Ave Maria Radio (below) told me that he would be airing what was taped soon. I believe he said it would be next Sunday in his program, Putting on the Mind of Christ. You can catch it on the web anywhere in the world using Listen Live at AveMariaRadio.net

Below, the hand of Fr. Frank Pavone as he blesses the bodies of the babies.

NOTES ABOUT PHOTO USEBloggers may use photos for general posting, but kindly provide a link back to this post. The permalink to the post is the timestamp just below (just copy shortcut). Please right-click and download the pic, then upload it accordingly. I don't want my bandwidth affected with pictures embedded directly from my blog (known as hot-linking).

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NOTE about Monday, June 30th.......I will be out of town for the day and will reply to emails when I return Monday night.

Photos may not be modified in any way without prior consent, outside of light cropping.

Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron

St. John of the Cross

Dark Night of the Soul (2.2:3)...

"...the devil causes many to believe in vain visionsand false prophecies; and strives to make them presumethat God and the saints are speaking with them; and they often trust their own fancy. And the devil is also accustomed, in this state, to fill them with presumption and pride, so that they become attracted by vanity and arrogance, and allow themselves to be seen engaging in outward acts which appear holy, such as raptures and other manifestations. Thus they become bold with God, and lose holy fear, which is the key and the custodian of all the virtues; and in some of these souls so many are the falsehoods and deceits which tend to multiply, and so inveterate do they grow, that it is very doubtful if such souls will return to the pure road of virtue and true spirituality."